Rise of Insanity is a new horror game out now. The game might be out for all consoles, but the version I played is for Nintendo Switch. Rise of Insanity works perfectly as a handheld game, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. It offers a solid horror story that is playable in as little as two hours. It’s a quick horror game that will leave the player thinking about it and that’s a good thing. Rise of Insanity tells the story of two men, men whose lives become intertwined. At the outset of the game, the player is shown a short video after being introduced to it by a psychologist. This psychologist is named Stephen Dowell, and he is trying to figure out if the player is a psycho. As the player progresses through the game they are introduced to his wife Susan and his son Teddy. Both of whom are heard throughout the game but never seen.
This game is a one that tells the story of Stephen, his family, and their gardener Edward, who is also never seen. The game itself is an exploratory one that involves Stephen walking around different locales. These locales include his house, his office, and even his garden. They are all large locations that the player will explore as they unravel a story, that involves the rise of insanity. The player guides Stephen through these areas, and Stephen moves deliberately slow. He slowly pads through the locations, one step at a time. The pace is just tedious enough to show that the game is pushing for the player to take their time. It might also be to push the player to go a little insane as they play. Stephen might also be going insane as the story progresses but that is up for the player to decide ultimately. As Stephen moves through areas, he will sometimes have to solve puzzles. He will also need to read documents that can be a little wordy but offer up a lot of information. The puzzles are often few and far between but some can be pretty challenging, with little help given. It is important to read everything though as it helps tie the story together and might give small hints to puzzles too.
This game also provides the player with interesting otherworldly events. These events change up how the player sees the game’s world. They aren’t necessarily realistic but they add a little spice to the game’s exploration segments. No matter where the player is a ringing phone will always guide the player to the next area. As the player progresses through the game there will often be voiceovers. Stephen and his family will often talk about events occurring. It might only be a few lines per section but it is best to play the game in one sitting. This game is fully completable in two hours so it’s not a huge time commitment. Players will enjoy some solid voice-over work that will help make the story clearer. The horror of this game does slightly rely on jump scares, but it isn’t as simple as that. The game brings the player into a calm sense of peace, relying on the player investigating things thoroughly. If a player simply clicks through the horror won’t affect them in the same way. Players will need to take in the world of the game to hit with the full effect of the game’s horror.
I will say that I played this game in the car and it was quite bright out. Even so, this game was still a frightening experience. Exploring and uncovering secrets brought me into its world and I was jumping in my seat even though it was often too bright to see my Switch screen. This game does its best and that is worth mentioning as it is quite terrifying. The game doesn’t have a lot of music or sound effects. The ambient noise of the world is usually enough to convey what the player should be feeling. Music does waft in occasionally but players will never be used to music, so it sometimes is a little jarring. Though this lack of sound is part of the game’s horror charm. The only big issue that I had with the game is the loading times. The game takes a good deal of time to load up the next segment. Players might blast through a section only to be greeted with decently long loading time. It’s not the biggest concern but less waiting would increase the level of psychological affect. This game is meant to affect the player and waiting deludes that which is a shame.
Rise of Insanity is a great horror game that works well because it’s so psychological. Player’s will uncover a wild story that very well seems like it could have happened. It’s short and sweet so players won’t need to worry about using a lot of time. While I played the Switch version it can be played on many platforms so players don’t need to worry. Stephen is studying insanity, will the player rise to see his results?
Disclaimer: A review key was provided